League

CARSON, Calif. -- The LA Galaxy will go from the final MLS game of 2014 to the very first of the 2015 season.

Major League Soccer announced on Friday morning that the Galaxy will host the Chicago Fire on Friday, March 6 at StubHub Center in a match that will air on Unimas at 7:00 p.m. PT. LA have hosted Chicago once before to start the season back in March 2013 when the Galaxy were also returning MLS Cup champions.

The Galaxy are 9-8-2 in all opening matches.

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Excited for the Fire to come to down? Ready to see former Galaxy players Mike Magee, Michael Stephens and Greg Cochrane?

The LA Galaxy passed up the chance to select any players in stage two of the MLS Re-Entry Draft, but the club did lose some of their talent as forward Chandler Hoffman was selected by the Houston Dynamo.

Hoffman, 24, made eight appearances for the Galaxy first team in 2014, but was unable to tally his first MLS goal. Where the forward found the most success was with USL PRO affiliate LA Galaxy II as he scored 13 goals in 17 games played for Los Dos, which was the third highest tally in the U.S. third division in 2014.

CARSON, Calif. – Brian Rowe began his tenure on the LA Galaxy as a third goalkeeper but in his second full season with the club, he’s solidified a place as the club’s number two net minder.

Rowe saw limited action for the Galaxy in 2014, only making three appearances and compiling a 1-0-2 record while top choice Jaime Penedo was away at the 2014 Copa CentroAmericana, but when he did step in goal, he performed ably. In his three appearances, Rowe maintained one shutout—the very first of his Galaxy career—and showed himself able to make clutch saves when needed as he moved ahead of former No. 2 Brian Perk who dealt with concussion injuries for much of the year.

Heading into next season, Rowe will likely have every opportunity to further solidify his position and possibly create competition with Penedo as the Panamanian netminder takes part in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. A solid performance in these games will only aid the emerging goalkeeper in his quest to lock down a top job with the club.

In addition to these games with the first team, Rowe is also expected to be a candidate to suit up for Galaxy II on a regular basis as Los Dos are currently without any ‘keepers on their roster at the moment. These games will only serve to provide confidence for the talented young goalkeeper who has impressed in his brief time with the club.

CARSON, Calif. – The last two years have been frustrating for Brian Perk and now the longtime LA goalkeeper finds himself possibly searching for greener pastures after his option was declined earlier this month.

Much like the 2013 season, Perk was plagued with recurring concussion issues that rendered him unable to suit up for the Galaxy or their USL PRO affiliate Galaxy II for wide stretches. The 25-year-old ‘keeper saw only brief action for the first team as he appeared in two matches at the beginning of the year while primary starter Jaime Penedo ironed out visa issues after LA’s demise from the CONCACAF Champions League.

In his three appearances, Perk showcased the quality shot-stopping ability that has been a hallmark of his as he made held a 1-0-1 record that included a shutout of Chivas USA in March. However, concussions rendered Perk unable to build on this performance as he was inactive for much of the season, allowing Brian Rowe to seal the No. 2 spot behind Penedo. When Perk did return, he became a staple for Galaxy II appearing in five matches for the club including each of their two USL PRO playoff games.

After having his option declined, where Perk’s career goes from here remains in question. The goalkeeper is up for stage two of the MLS Re-Entry Draft on Thursday and if he is not selected, he could be eligible to sign with any club that he wishes. Although injuries forced him into limited action this season, Perk’s stellar shot stopping ability—which has drawn comparisons to RSL starter Nick Rimando— should make him a contender to lock down a job with the Galaxy or elsewhere.

After enduring a year of heartbreak and failure for both club and country, Jaime Penedo finally got over the hump and ended the 2014 campaign with a championship.

Brought in as a savior for the LA Galaxy’s goalkeeping situation midway through the 2013 campaign, Penedo suffered a pair of setbacks in successive fashion as Panama failed to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and a month later LA were bounced from the postseason in the opening round.

Such disappointments stuck in the craw of the happy-go-lucky Panamanian goalkeeper heading into the 2014 season and he responded with aplomb.

During the regular season, Penedo enjoyed a 1.14 goals against average—.01 behind Goalkeeper of the Year Bill Hamid—while also making eight shutouts as he carried LA to the league’s second best record. In the playoffs, he shook off any claims that he could not come up in big games with stellar performances in LA’s series against Real Salt Lake and Seattle Sounders FC, the former which included a six save showing in the first leg.

In the MLS Cup final against New England, Penedo put forth yet another strong showing with six saves against the Revs to seal his first professional title since winning a title in Guatemala with Municipal. After years of frustration with Panama and his club teams, to win a title after such a trying season proved to be a “dream come true” for Penedo.

"It is a great blessing and a joy," Penedo told reporters after winning the title. “I dedicate this to dear God, my faith, my family, and my country.”

The Virginia Cavaliers defeated the UCLA Bruins 4-2 in penalty shootout at WakeMed Soccer Park after a scoreless tie in the 2014 College Cup Final.

The Cavaliers opted for a defensive posture that negated the Bruins' high-power attack for 120 minutes until the match went to penalty kicks. Riggs Lennon scored the title-winning penalty kick for Virginia, which made four of five penalty kicks while the Bruins saw two of their attempts ping off the cross bar.

The UCLA Bruins and their heavy LA Galaxy Academy contingent will play in the NCAA College Cup final on Sunday against Virginia (9 a.m. PT on ESPNU) at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.

UCLA reached the championship game after dispatching the Providence Friars with a 3-2 victory in double overtime thanks to a golden goal from defender Chase Gasper. The Bruins’ Larry Nadjock and Providence striker Mac Steeves traded goals during regulation.

They'll face Virginia, who rose to soccer prominence under the leadership of Bruce Arena, who led the Cavaliers to five titles in 18 years as the team's head coach. The Cavaliers reached the final by defeating the University of Maryland-Baltimore County 1-0 earlier on Friday.

The LA Galaxy passed on making any selections in stage one of the 2014 MLS Re-Entry Draft.

Only three players were selected in the first process as former Sporting KC goalkeepers Eric Kronberg and Andy Gruenebaum were selected by Montreal Impact and San Jose Earthquakes respectively while former Real Salt Lake forward Robbie Findley was taken by Toronto FC.

Teams will now have a chance to regonotiate with their players made available for the Re-Entry Draft process before stage two on Dec. 18

CARSON, Calif. -- LA Galaxy Homegrown Player Bradford Jamieson IV was named by U.S. Under-20 head coach Tab Ramos for the team's upcoming training camp in Honduras from Dec. 15 to Dec. 22.

Jamieson, who took part in the team's recent fitness training camp earlier this month, returns to the fold in the U.S. U-20's final training camp of the year. During the training camp, the U.S. will play a pair of matches against Honduras on Dec. 18 and Dec. 21 at Morazan Stadium in San Pedro Sula.

CARSON, Calif. – LA Galaxy Homegrown Player Jack McBean is heading to Europe for the rest of the month on a pair of training stints, a source close to the situation told LA Galaxy Insider.

The 19-year-old forward is currently training with Championship side Charlton Athletic and will train there for the next eight days until joining up with Scottish club Hibernian for another 10 day training period. A club spokesman confirmed McBean’s training stint.